


Chevy's Brunch Menu: Assorted One Shots

by nordorr



Category: Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Misunderstandings, Silly, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-18
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:42:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26536747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nordorr/pseuds/nordorr
Summary: One shots and short stories inspired by the Facebook fast pass group CCC challenge prompts.All characters are the creation of Lilydusk's Midnight Poppyland webcomic
Relationships: Damien/Erdene (Midnight Poppy Land), Tora/Poppy Wilkes
Comments: 72
Kudos: 109





	1. Quincess for a Day pt.1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Evie_97](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evie_97/gifts), [CobaltLemon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CobaltLemon/gifts).



> An AU in which we get a day in the life of Quincey. Tora and Poppy haven't met yet and there's a farmer's market. 
> 
> This will be a short story with 2-3 chapters. I mixed up a few prompts put forth this week. A day in the life of Quincey and a trip to the farmer's market for part one.

*5:30am* As the music began to rise into a crescendo, Quincey straightened his legs and moved his arms out in a stretch. He pulled his sleep mask off from over his eyes and sitting up, he reached over to quiet the alarm and disable the backup that would beep at him if the increasing volume of the symphony had failed to rouse him. Next to the alarm was a small pitcher and tumbler set, he removed the tumbler off the top and poured himself a glass of water. Taking a sip, he slid his feet into his house shoes and walked across his room to the low console where he deposited his cell phone in the evenings. He quickly unlocked it and opened the app to access his room lighting, once he set his lamps at a low glow, he swiped the missed text notification. _Sugarplum_. He opened the thread and was quickly disappointed.

_Hey Blondie, bad news, business calls and I’ll be unavailable for at least the next 2 months. Let’s table our agreement until I come back. Don’t have too much fun without me. -C._

Quincey felt his face fall and his mouth form a pout. He liked what he had with Cordy, it was upsetting that he wouldn’t be seeing her for 2 months.Though her putting a pause on their relationship meant that he would be free to pursue any flirtations that arose in her absence. He tried to focus on that positive as he went about his morning routine, he needed to prepare himself for his workout with Philipe. Upon entering his bathroom, he checked his reflection looking for signs of redness or peeling remaining from the chemical peel he’d had earlier in the week, finding none, he splashed some water on his face and went about taking care of his morning hygiene while putting on his gym clothes.

Walking into his kitchen, he realized that his lunch plans with Sugarplum were now cancelled. “Hmmph,” he tutted to himself. He’d cancelled his lunch service since he’d planned to be out, he would need to make other arrangements now. He opened his refrigerator to grab a chilled water and noticed what remained of the pint of strawberries he’d bought the day before. He took a berry for a quick snack while pulling up Tora’s number in his phone. He sent off a quick text telling his friend to pick him up at 10:30. Then for good measure, he called until the sleeping man woke up.

“Quince, what’s wrong?” Tora’s voice was mostly a mumble of sleep.

“Honey, sorry to wake you, but I’m going to need you this morning. Can you come over at 10:30?”

“Yeah, s’that all?”

“Yes, now set an alarm and go back to sleep Booboo.” Quincey sighed as he disconnected the call. He knew his friend didn’t sleep well and hated that he’d woken him. He’d have to make it up to him later.

*6:00am* Quincey stood swirling his mixer bottle for his protein shake in the corner of his gym waiting for Philipe, his personal trainer, to arrive. The gym was in a basement space in his building that Quincey had leased on his own, it provided a private place for him to work out as well as Tora and now Gyu. Once Philipe arrived, Quincey cheerily greeted him while they walked over to the training mats to begin stretching and warm-ups. Philipe had come highly recommended to Quincey. Well known personal trainer to celebrities, athletes and CEO’s, Philipe had a reputation for being a professional and being tight lipped about his clients. Most importantly to Quincey was that Philipe was not affiliated with the Balthuman Organization in any way. He knew that the results of their work out sessions would not make it back to his father, Vincent. Quincey knew it was in his own best interests to downplay his strength; it would keep his father off his back and it would make him appear to be a weaker target to rival clans. Philipe wasn’t one for small talk, quickly running Quincey through his warm-up and onto a treadmill for some cardio before weight training. Today was leg day, by the end of the final squat Quincey thought his legs would give out from under him. As Philipe started him on his cool down and final stretches, feelings of relief flowed through his jelly legs.

*8:30am* Walking back into his apartment on tired limbs, Quincey got to work on his post work-out routine. First was his shower, as he went to work scrubbing away his sweat, he allowed his mind to wander on his current publishing predicament. He’d recently broken from his previous publisher after the man had plagiarized him and smeared his reputation all over the city. There was an event tonight put on by an international publishing house, inviting anyone involved in books and periodicals in Narin City, there would be publishers, editors, and agents looking to network with authors, illustrators and photographers. There would be enough people there where he could move about freely as Quincey, without being suspected as Q.B. Noyoko.

After the shower he pulled his hair back with a scrunchie to keep it off his face and began on his skin care ritual; he followed a multi step routine that kept his skin flawless and smooth. He cleaned his face outside of the shower with cooler water and a specialized cleanser formulated for his skin chemistry. He then took his time applying his anti-aging serum around his eyes and mouth, careful to not miss any spots that were prone to fine lines. He had purchased a high quality jade roller with a walnut inlay handle that made him feel like a pampered princess. Relaxing with the roller massaging his face after a grueling workout was a simple reward he looked forward to. After that he rubbed in his moisturizer, followed by his sunscreen. As he finished his stomach began to growl. He walked into his large walk-in closet and dressed himself in a lightweight green cashmere sweater and a pair of blue jeans. He needed to style his hair, but decided that it could wait until after he’d had his breakfast.

Since he knew Tora would be over later in the morning, he kept his breakfast light with some eggs and fruit and a cup of herbal tea. He carried his meal out to his balcony and enjoyed the elevated view of Narin City it provided him. His building was part of a posh neighborhood built in the foothills of the Narin Mountains. The natural geography provided extra security in his community since the curvy, narrow roads were difficult to navigate. Once he finished his meal, he would fix his hair and then return to the balcony to write until Tora arrived.

*10:30am* Quincey and Tora approached the Narin City farmer’s market from the east side of the large park that contained it. The farmer’s market was set up in something resembling a horse-shoe shape with the western leg covered by a permanent pavilion, a mix of canopies and other sun shades on the eastern side and following the curved road that bordered that side of the park, a mix of stalls and food trucks in the portion connecting the two legs. In the center of the market, there were musicians, pony rides and bouncy castles to cater to young families as well as temporary picnic areas set up near the food trucks.

Quincey sensed Tora’s change in attitude before he saw it. The large man had stilled beside him staring ahead with a look in his eye that Quincey was unfamiliar with. He thought, maybe coming to the farmer’s market had been a mistake, although crowded, it was usually a safe place, full of families and not clan members looking for a fight. “Booboo, is something wrong?” Quincey asked while following Tora’s line of sight. He saw the cause almost immediately, a pair of women were walking in from the opposite direction towards the same booth they were; one was tall and slender with blue and lavender hair dressed in a loose fitting top with yoga pants and the other was a petite and curvy brunette wearing shorts and a flower print tank top. The shorter one had a large smile and was chatting happily with her friend, completely unaware of the effect she was having on the man a few yards in front of her.

Tora shook off his friend’s concern, “Come on, I gotta eat,” and began heading towards the food trucks.

Quincey had known Tora most of their lives, and had never seen him react so strongly to a woman like that. Being that he was The Love Expert, he wasn’t going to let an opportunity like this pass them by. He would find a situation to have them interact before leaving the market. If this woman could even be half as smitten at first sight as Tora was, he wouldn’t have to do much to get them together.

“Oh, no, Honey, we’ll get to the food trucks in a minute, I want to look at what’s in this stall first.” Quincey walked to the first vendor, following the women, knowing that Tora was in bodyguard mode and would dutifully stay close by.

The first stall they stopped at was selling lotions and body scrubs. Quincey overheard the two women smelling the different fragrances as they sampled a few of the products.

“Um, I don’t think I like this one very much,” the brunette grimaced towards her friend, passing her a pine scented lotion.

“Pops, you’ve got to try this one, it’s so you,” the taller woman handed her a lotion that Quincey read was brownie scented from over their shoulders.

“Yum! But, I don’t think I should get it because it will only make me want to eat it, hehe.” She set it down and passed another to her friend. “I think this one is my favorite. I’ll have to come back next week after we get paid,” pointing to a bottle Quincey couldn’t read.

“Excuse me, Sir, would you be interested in trying our handmade sugar scrub? It’s made with all organic ingredients and is great for exfoliating your hands and feet.” The vendor had approached Quincey while his head was turned facing the women with an outstretched hand containing a small applicator and scrub.

“Of course,” he grinned, allowing the seller to apply the scrub on the back of his hand. He tried his best to listen to her spiel while keeping an eye on the pair of women who were walking away. When she was done, he went ahead and purchased a jar of the scrub enjoying the light fragrance the sample had contained. After paying for it, he walked over to the wall of lotions and read the scent of the lotion the brunette had liked: vanilla and strawberries.

He met with Tora back in the walkway outside of the booth. “Are ya done, I’m starving?”

Quincey caught a flash of the blue and lavender hair inside an artist's booth two away from where they were. “Not yet, Booboo, I suddenly have the need to acquire art, come along, you know I trust your judgement.”

Upon entering the artist booth, Quincey felt Tora straighten up beside him, his eyes glued to the backside of the petite woman who was slightly bent to eye the small canvas art on display. “Pfft,” he thought to himself, “this man is such a neanderthal, openly ogling her ass like that.” Although, catching a glimpse himself, Quincey did have to admit it was a nice butt.

“Honey, what do you think of this for the hall?” Quincey pointed at a large abstract painting that would fit in nicely with his decor.

Quincey caught sight of the two women turning at the sound of his voice behind them, watching as they appraised him and Tora.

“Are you interested in this one,” the brunette asked, pointing at the one that Quincey had been admiring.

“Yes, I was just telling Honey here that I thought it would be perfect in the hall.”

“Christ Quincey,” Tora growled, “I’ve told ya to stop calling me Honey. And ya know I don’t care what ya hang in ya hallway.”

“Oh ho ho, this was new,” Quincey thought. Tora had never spoken out about his little pet names before, in fact he usually preferred for Quincey to refer to him like that in front of others to deter their flirting. What was going on in that weirdo’s head? There was a slight reddening on his cheeks, anyone else would have mistaken it for anger, but Quincey had been studying his tightly controlled friend for years and recognized it as a blush.

“I just love that one,” the tiny woman smiled. “I’ve seen it here the past few weeks and was hoping that someone else would see it’s beauty and take it home.”

“That settles it, I think I will get this one, _Tora_ ,” Quincey emphasized his friend’s name before turning back to the brunette woman, “You’ve got good taste, thank you for sharing your opinion.” As he walked over to pay for the painting Quincey couldn’t help but bump into Tora to try to push him a little closer to the woman.

Tora shot him a warning look and then went back to pretending to look at art while watching the woman and her friend from the corner of his eye.

While arranging delivery of the painting, Quincey saw the women move on to another booth causing Tora to come back to his side. “Stop playin’ games Quince, let’s go eat.”

“Oh, somebody’s hangry. Ok, Booboo, we can get you some food before you bite my head off.”

He really meant it, he had planned on going over to the food trucks at that point, but then he recognized the booth that sold his favorite herbal teas, the whole reason he had wanted to come to the farmer’s market in the first place. “Booboo, wait, I need my tea, come over here, I need your opinion on which ones to get this week. Do you still want your green tea? Do you remember which one it was that Gyu liked?”

“Quincey can’t we do this after we eat?” an increasingly irritated Tora asked.

“Normally, I’d say yes, but the last few times they’ve sold out of their special blend for regulation early, and I promised Gyu I’d get him some since he’s unable to come down here on his own.”

Entering the temporary tea shop Quincey went to quick work finding his favorite specialty blends. He was so focused on his task that he didn’t notice the lavender haired woman who appeared at his elbow at first. When he stood up and saw her beside him, he knew that Tora would be nearby, irate. Before he had a chance to look for him, the man walked in front of him. “I’m goin’ to the booth next door to get a drink, do not go anywhere else after ya done here. Come straight to me.”

Finishing faster than he expected, Quincey walked out to see that the stall next to the tea was a walk-up aguas frescas stand. Tora was being handed a large cup full of a strawberry mixture when the woman passing it to him stumbled slightly, knocking him as they both kept the cup from spilling. Tora stepped back to keep his balance, right onto the foot of the woman behind him, who as fate would have it, was the petite brunette Tora had been trying to avoid by going to the drink stand in the first place.

Quincey rushed over, seeing his friend freeze in place as comprehension slowly dawned across his features of who was the owner of the foot he’d just crushed. “Hello Miss art connoisseur, what a coincidence running into you again.” He spoke in his most pacifing voice. “Can I buy your drink to make up for my oaf of a friend here stomping on your foot?” He looked at Tora’s face, as shades of embarrassment passed over it.

“No need, I saw that it was an accident, I would accept an apology though,” her voice a little hopeful.

“Uh. Sorry. For steppin on ya foot. Is it alright? Can ya move ya toes easily?” He kneeled down to inspect the sandal clad foot. “Does it hurt to bear weight on it?” Quincey observed Tora snap out of his embarrassment and turn on his body guard mode.

“Hehe, I’m fine, I promise, I appreciate the apology and I accept it. Thanks for the medical check-up too.” She giggled.

Tora smiled up at her face.

Quincey caught himself grinning in response to their interaction. What was going on with the Tiger of Ares street?

Tora looked over at him as he rose back to a stand, upon seeing Quincey’s grin Tora’s mouth snapped back into a thin line. “Come on, we’re goin’ to eat, now, Quinceton.” He was tugging him by the upper arm before Quincey had a chance to respond.

“Booboo, wait, why don’t we invite our new friends to join us?”

Tora turned to him, the look on his face murderous, “Quincey, drop it.”

*11:45am* After eating, Tora had made an effort to slow their progress through the stalls, creating a large space between themselves and the women. It was working and Quincey was feeling a little put out. One of the last stalls was full of silks flowing and lightly waving in the breeze. “Honey, we’ve got to go in here, This place always has the best dyed squares, and you know how a good pocket square can elevate one of my outfits to the next level.” Quincey moved toward a table covered in the small pieces of silk with Tora close behind him.

As he perused the table covered in silk squares and ties, Quincey overheard what were now familiar voices coming over a silk partition. He looked over in time to see the petite brunette trying on a vibrant red shawl over her shoulders. The silk draped across her perfectly, the contrast of her creamy skin and the bold color made her look absolutely striking.

“Oh. My. God. Girl, this looks amazing on you! You have to get this, it would be criminal not to. I bet it would look perfect with your gown for tonight. Didn’t you say you needed some kind of cover too? It’s fate.”

“I don’t know Dene. It is beautiful, but I’ve already spent more than I should have for tonight and my budget is stretched thin enough as it is.”

The tall lavender haired woman let out a sigh, “I know you’re right, I think I have something you can borrow, but I know it wouldn’t look half as gorg as this does on you. Maybe this will still be here the next time you come back.”

Movement near the cashier in the corner caught Quincey’s attention. He looked over in time to see Tora leaning over the booth owner, passing him some money and speaking quietly. He wasn’t usually one for pocket squares or hand dyed ties. Intrigued, he walked over to see what his brooding friend had bought, only to be met with the sight of his back as he walked away quickly to go stand in the shade of a nearby tree. Looking back to the booth, Tora gave Quincey a slight nod of acknowledgement before reaching into his pocket to retrieve a cigarette and his lighter. As he went back to purchase some of the bolder pocket squares he’d discovered, he heard the lavender woman squeal.

“Poppy! Did you see who did that? I wonder where they went? You need to go thank them girl! If it’s a man, you need to get his number.”

The vendor was giving the brunette the red shawl in a bag, telling her that someone had paid for it as a gift to her.

Shocked, Quincey turned to look back at Tora, only to find that he had disappeared from under the tree. What was going on with his friend?


	2. The Pick-Up Artist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler alert:  
> This is a one shot inspired by ch 57, picking up where the chapter leaves giving Tora and Poppy some relief to their tension. I wanted to include a scene inspired by SG 101/102 from Lilydusk's Patreon.
> 
> All characters belong to the amazing Lilydusk and her comic Midnight Poppyland featured on webtoon. Any similarities are purely coincidence and dumb luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This didn't come from a prompt challenge, I just had this thought in my head after reading it and wrote it all out.  
> This is my first attempt at smut, so apologies if some parts may sound choppy or robotic, I'm still trying to get the hang of writing.

He crossed his arms across his chest, to still the weight of their emptiness. He'd run out of cigarettes an hour ago. Despite his efforts he could still taste her under the nicotine. Quincey was going on about something but it was just buzzing, barely registering in his mind, his ears instead picking up her laughter across the bar as she stood in a group of his men. He had spent his life learning to control his expressions, keeping his emotions locked up tight, building walls to keep people out. He knew letting someone in only led to disappointment, and now some fucking hamster had gone and broken all his defenses. He hadn't felt this exposed in years.

He'd fooled himself into thinking that he could have something more with her. He'd believed her when she said she saw him as an ordinary guy. That had reverberated in his head all week. Everyone who saw him knew what he was, there was no hiding it, but she had seen him differently. 

The group across the bar had suddenly grown silent. He allowed himself to turn his head to see the cause. A stupid decision on his part, because there she was, looking directly at him, a flush of alcohol on her cheeks growing darker by the second as their gazes held. He had always prided himself in how well he read the faces and body language of those around him, it had begun as an act of self preservation, but now it felt like more of a curse staring at her. He could see the emotions playing across her open face; desire, that was something he was familiar with, but the unguarded glow that she had, the way her lips turned up into a half smile just seeing him, he had seen that look countless times, but never before directed at him. 

He didn't hear the questions from Quincey and Gyu, didn't realize he had begun walking to her until one of his men stepped in front of him, she was little more than an arm's length away. He sidestepped without breaking eye contact with her.

"It's gettin' late, do ya need a ride home?"

She stumbled to find her words under his intense gaze. She could only nod. At that action he reached out to her, offering his arm, to steady her on the uneven floor, or so he said in front of their audience. Leading her out of the cave and up the stairs, they walked in silence, the pounding of their hearts deafening.

She risked looking up at him, still clinging to his arm as they walked to the parking garage. In the short amount of time they had known each other she had come to learn that his face wasn't as unreadable as she initially thought, the micro expressions she caught were in direct contrast to the stoic demeanor he was trying to project. The small display of his nerves comforted her, boosting her affinity for him.

When they arrived at his car, he opened the door for her, and lowered her into the seat, reaching down to stop her at the knee from turning to face forward. Wordlessly, he knelt down and removed her heels, examining the red and irritated skin of her ankles. He left her to retrieve a small first aid kit from the trunk of this car, returning to his kneel to begin applying some soothing salve to the skin most rubbed raw. Despite the gentleness of his inspection and touches, she still released a small gasp as he worked over a particularly worn spot. His eyes sought hers in apology. She nodded in acceptance, bending down to touch his chin before he could look down to return to his task. She stroked her thumb across his cheek while pulling him up to meet her. His hands trailed up her legs until they met the hem of her dress, resting one on the seat next to her thigh, he reached up to cup her face with the other. 

There was no hesitation in her kiss, her hand slid from his cheek to his neck, then into his hair as she brought his face closer. She brought her other arm up to rest across his shoulder, holding him to her as he had requested earlier. His tongue teased hers, eliciting a small moan from her that only encouraged him further. His hand moved from the seat to her back to pull her to him, pressing her chest against his own. They stayed together for only a moment longer before a car alarm nearby startled them apart.

Both panting, he pulled back and held her face in both his hands. She could feel the blush growing across her cheeks as he searched her eyes. For what she didn’t know. Finally after what felt like an eternity, he spoke.

His voice was barely above a whisper, "I should get ya home."

He stood up and waited for her to turn herself forward before shutting the door for her. He made it to the back of his car to put away the first aid supplies and adjusted his erection in an attempt to ease some of the tension in his dark jeans. He took a moment to try to calm his racing heart, patting his hand on his pocket for a cigarette before recalling they were gone. He wanted to get into the car and pull her into his lap immediately. Exhaling a long breath he got in to drive her home. 

The drive gave him too much time in his head. He replayed all the events of the evening; she wanted him, but she didn’t want to be _with_ him. He knew her reasons, he had no business asking that of her anyway, but the sting of rejection still lingered. He had watched her throughout the night, she had only nursed a handful of drinks, spread out over the few hours they had been there. He doubted she was anywhere near drunk, he had sobered up when she pulled out his ring, he still didn’t know how to feel about _that._ Sitting in silence gave plenty of space for doubt to creep in. She had been the one to pull him into a kiss in the parking stall, he couldn’t stop if he had wanted. He knew that a night with her with no strings attached would be the best he could give her, he could still have her and avoid pulling her into his fucked up life. Pulling into the lot, he realized they had made it to her apartment without a single word spoken between them.

Her voice cut the quiet, “Do you want to come up?”

He snapped his head to look at her, she looked straight ahead, a little too embarrassed at her boldness to look him in the eye. She had used up a large reserve of her bravery at the club propositioning him, surprising herself that she had any remaining. Her resolve began to crumble as he stayed silent, taking it as him declining the offer, she turned to let herself out of the car. His hand caught her and brought her to him as he crushed his lips against her own, catching her off guard. His hands trailed down her shoulders to her lower back, bringing her closer to him.

She backed away, "Wait," she gasped. He began to pull away from her annoyed at the mixed signals, but she reached up to grab his collar. "No, wait." She pleaded. "We can't do this here." She pointed to the guard shack, "He's going to patrol the lot soon. Will you come upstairs with me?"

She tried to climb up the stairs nonchalantly, as if she invited men into her apartment regularly. He had carried her shoes for her to prevent her from trying to wear them again. Once inside, he'd gently placed them down before removing his own. 

Her nerves getting the better of her, she walked into the kitchen to get water for the both of them. Turning from the sink, she was met by the sight of him standing in the doorway to the small room. 

He made a joke to break the tension. Her smile and laughter bringing out his own. He reached for the water, setting both glasses down to take her hands in his own. "Do ya want me to go?" He asked, looking into her eyes.

She shook her head no in response.

"What happened to the fiesty hamster with the smooth pickup lines?" He smirked.

"You're a smooth pick-up line," she mumbled in retort.

"What's that," he grinned stepping closer, "you want me to pick you up?" 

He removed his hands from her own and put them around her waist, lifting her off the ground like he had a few hours before, only this time instead of setting her on the counter, he pulled her to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and after a moment of hesitation, her legs around his waist. He adjusted his hold as he slid his hands to her back and down, lacing his fingers together beneath her ass. He leaned back to see her face and gauge her reaction. "Are ya ok with this, Sweetheart?"

She was looking down, biting her lip, and began to thread her fingers through his hair. At his question, she used her hands to bow his head to her and answered him with another kiss. She parted her lips allowing his tongue access. What started off shy soon became needy and frantic. She tightened her arms, pressing her full body against his.

He shifted his body, his fingers were no longer laced, each hand now cupped her ass, over her dress, his fingers pressing into her curves. He wanted her closer, to feel all of her. He broke their kiss and walked out of the small kitchen, still supporting her. Looking for a place to sit in the dimly lit studio.

"Christ, is all ya furniture just a bed and a table?" He didn't want to lower himself to the floor but knew it was a better option than assuming she would want him in her bed. His cock was screaming at him to not fuck this up. 

"You can sit on the bed, if you want." She was blushing again. Her nervousness apparent in a small chuckle as she slightly pulled her chest away from his. 

He sat down on the corner, her legs still wrapped around him, settling her into his lap. He shifted, trying to adjust the hard-on in his jeans. He leaned forward to kiss the dip in her clavicle. The delicate flesh soft under his lips. He caught the thin strap of one side of her dress and began to slide it down her arm, his mouth following, kissing the exposed shoulder. He repeated the action on the other side. Both arms now extracted, he lightly tugged the front of her dress, exposing some kind of bra he was unfamiliar with. Instinctively, he placed his hand on her back only to be met with naked skin instead of the clasp he sought.

"Bobby, how'd ya take this damn thing off?" He murmured into her breasts as he kissed the top of them, tugging on the cups. 

She giggled at him, "Here, there's adhesive on the sides, I need to remove it carefully." She moved one hand to hold her skin taught as she peeled the bra away from one side, then the other. She kept her arm across her chest holding the cups into place. A worried look crossed her face. Before he could ask, she told him, "I can't just fling this across the room, it'll get ruined." With that, she climbed off his lap and went to lay the bra on top of her dresser.

His dick ached, and now that she was no longer in his lap, he reached down to ease some of the discomfort his jeans were causing. She turned back around to catch him with his hands down his pants, causing her blush to deepen further. She no longer wore the bra but still kept the arm crossed to hide her breasts. Her other hand holding up her dress under her chest to keep it from falling to the floor. She came back to him, he reached out to her leading her to straddle him again. She stopped short of his lap, resting right above his knees. 

He wanted to pull her closer, afraid to spook her away, since he could feel her trembling. He placed a hand on her arm to try and steady her, but she misunderstood it as a I spoken sign to expose herself. As her arm fell to her side, looking at her, with her perfect tits, he groaned. He leaned towards her to kiss them, worshiping her naked chest with his mouth and hands.

She brought her hands down to his waist, playing with the hem of his shirt, she slid her fingers under. He took his mouth away from her nipple and he lifted his arms in return so she could peel the shirt away. He watched as she ran her fingers down his chest and stomach, his breath catching while she felt the definition of his musculature. Her hand stopped above his belt buckle, her face looked upon his with uncertainty. Bringing his hands down to cover hers, he placed them on the buckle and helped her ease it open, following with his button and zipper. Free from it's denim prison, his hard dick wobbled free, only clothed behind the thin fabric of his boxer briefs. Needing no further encouragement, she wrapped her hand around his fabric bound cock, rubbing up and down his shaft. 

She hadn't taken her dress off yet, his fingers stroked her thighs at the edge of her skirt asking permission to climb higher, only to be met with a denial. She grabbed his wrist and set his hand on her hip, over the bunched up clothing. He busied himself between kisses and nips along her neck while using his other hand to tease her nipple. The pressure building from her gentle caresses down his cock through the thin fabric was mounting. He needed to feel flesh on flesh and not tentative strokes through fabric. She was driving him mad; with each movement of her hand he grew greedy, wanting more. He took her hand and drew it inside his boxer briefs, letting her palm the smooth skin of his iron hard rod. She ran her thumb along the slit of his head, spreading the droplet of pre-cum that had appeared. He needed to know for certain that he couldn't extend the same pleasure she was bringing him. "Can we lose the dress, Sweetheart?" He hissed into the crook of her neck.

"You promise you won't laugh?" 

He stilled her hands and leaned back. Looking into her face he tried to communicate that she was perfect. He wanted to kill whoever had made her feel so self conscious about her body. "The fuck do ya think I am?" His face soft, despite his coarse words.

As she stood, she began to turn a shade of red, stepping back from his reach. "I-I I got dressed tonight not thinking this would happen," gesturing to the both of them. "I would've picked better underwear if I knew you were going to start talking to me again." She let the dress drop to the ground, revealing some kind of high-waisted, skin tight, nude colored shorts.

"Bobby," he tried to hide the smile creeping across his face, "what the hell are those?" Relief spreading throughout him as he realized it was her wardrobe and not her body that was causing her distress.

"It's shapewear, you thug!" She brought her hands up to cover her face, turning away from him. "You said you wouldn't laugh."

"Look Bobby," he was on his feet, placing his hands on her hips pulling her back to him. He sat back on the bed, legs spread apart, bringing her into the space in front of him. "I think you're beautiful, even in these crazy granny panties." 

She swiped playfully at his head. He grabbed her arm and set it on his shoulder. "Can I take these off of ya?" His fingers played at the band sitting above her waist. 

"Will you take yours off first?" She looked at him sheepishly. 

He stood up, hooking his thumbs in the band of his boxer briefs and pulled them down, his dick bobbing in release, catching his sagging jeans on the way. He slipped his feet out, then removed his socks for good measure. "Your turn, Sweetheart," he touched the band of her shorts as he sat back down, "unless ya want me to do the honors?"

His gaze was so fiercely longing she wanted to look away. He was the only man who had ever looked at her with such unhidden lust. She nodded, thankful that the task took his attention away from her face. As he peeled the offending shorts down, he kissed the impression it had made across her skin. She steadied herself with his shoulders as he tugged the material from her hips pulling it to the ground until she stepped out. He looked back up into her face, his hands wrapping around her pulling her to him until there was no space between them. He kissed her above her navel, moving his mouth to her hip, then the other. She felt her breath shudder, feeling the heat within her core rising as he concentrated on kissing her across her small belly.

She threaded her fingers through his hair, pulling it back to make him look up at her again. Bending down to kiss him, with his face in her hands, she turned her body to sit on one of his legs, keeping hers bent between them. Feeling her arousal on his leg, he ran his hand up the outside of her thigh causing her to shiver, drawing his thumb across the crease where her leg met her body, not stopping until it brushed against her sex. Lightly touching, he coaxed her legs apart so that he could slide his fingers across the wet heat of her folds. Focusing on her reactions, he grazed his thumb across the bundle of nerves, building pressure as he traced circles over it with his digit.

She hummed in reply, and reached out to grab his firm member, tracing the outline of its head with her thumb before wrapping her fingers around, stroking it. He met her movements with small thrusts, eager to set a matching rhythm. Feeling emboldened by his eager response to her touch, she adjusted her hips and opened her legs further to allow him more access to her center. He accepted the invitation and slipped a finger inside while continuing his attentions to the sensitive bud. Slowly at first, he had her adjust to his thick finger as he entered her, slickened by her excitement. He began to pump his finger in and out, and soon added a second. He was so focused on her small moans and panting he didn't notice his own keeping tempo.

He was going to lose control soon, she was his fantasy turned reality and her presence with him was driving him over the edge. He stilled her ministrations and lifted her onto the bed beside him. He went to kiss her, leaning forward so that she would lay down. His body prone on top of her, supporting his weight with one arm, he began to brush his lips down her body, kissing the peaks of her breasts and the valley between them. He stopped at her hips, and then just above her mound, teasing her with his breath upon her sensitive skin. He playfully nipped the inside of her thigh, causing her to tremble. He brought his face back to her center. As he was settling her leg on his shoulder, he was cut off by her hand lifting his chin so she could fully see his face.

“Hmm, Tora, not yet.” She tried her best to squeeze her knees together, his large figure preventing it. 

“Do ya wanna stop?” His voice was low and gravelly telling her that he wanted anything but that. He got up on an elbow to see her better.

“No. No, I want to… I want this. I just,” she looked up at the ceiling, blushing, searching for the right words. “I haven’t had a lot of the same _encounters_ you have, so maybe, just tonight we could keep the um, _kissing_ a little higher.”

"Okay Sweetheart," he brought her leg back down, but not before kissing the side of her knee. He rose back to a sit, positioning himself beside her bent knees, "You just tell me what you want and we'll do that." Anything to keep him there with her, he thought.

"I liked what you were doing before," she said to the ceiling.

"What was that? Use ya words Bobby, I want to know _exactly_ what you want me to do."

"I liked when you had your thumb on me and your fingers in my.." she trailed off with a mumble.

"What did you just say?" He smirked. He was sure he had heard her, but she was so stinkin' cute sometimes, he needed her to repeat her request.

"I liked when you had your fingers in my lady garden, okay!" She turned her head and covered her hands with her face. She knew he was doing it to get a rise out of her, and it was working. How he could stay so calm with both of them naked was beyond her.

He turned her back to face him and kissed her gently, all playfulness set aside, silently reassuring her that he would let her make the decisions for the evening. 

Once she had relaxed back against the headboard, he sat himself beside her hip. He brought his hand back up to her entrance, drawing his thumb across her lips to wet it, he took it to her bud and began to draw lazy circles. He could feel her heat, he began to slip his finger in her folds wanting to tease her until he heard her let out a small moan.

"Sweetheart," his mouth had gone dry, "tell me what ya want." He would give her everything if it meant tonight wasn't a one time thing.

"Mmm... Tora," she rocked against him, "I like this." She continued her small movements. "Tora ahh… keep doing this." She let out another small moan.

He leaned over her, watching her writhe in pleasure, his thumb circling her clit while he pumped two fingers inside her. She drew her knees up closer to her head as the sensation became overwhelming. Her hands clutched at the sheets beside her as he felt the walls of her muscle begin to contract around his digits. She closed her eyes in concentration, a flush taking over her cheeks. He rested his forehead on her shoulder wanting to feel as connected to her as possible. He felt her legs shake as she came, his fingers squeezed by the spasms of her sex. He turned and kissed her neck as she stopped trembling, withdrawing his hand away from her sensitive entrance.

"You alright?" He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Mmm Tora, that was… I've never experienced anything like that with someone before." Her voice was soft and dreamy as she settled into his embrace.

"Really?" He couldn't help but feel a surge of pride. "That wasn't too much for ya lady garden?" He grinned into her hair.

She managed to elbow him in the ribs before he tightened his squeeze around her. "Careful Bobby," he warned, "I don't think ya really wanna get into a naked wrestlin' match with me." He did want to get into one with her, the thought of it made his dick twitch against her side. 

She twisted in his arms to face him, "Did you mean what you said? At the club?" She looked up into his eyes. "Do you really think I'd look nice on you? Or was that more flirting to get a reaction?" When he didn't answer, she continued, "Do you really think I taste like Heaven?"

"What do you think?" He eyed her. "Of course you taste like Heaven, ya fuckin' feel like it too." 

He bent down and kissed her. She parted her lips in acceptance, allowing him to deepen the kiss. His arm under her pulled her closer, her breasts pressed up against his chest with his cock nestled between her thighs. Unconsciously he began to grind his hips; her mound and small belly providing him with friction as he rocked against her. He let out a sharp exhale when she reached down and wrapped her hand around his erection, pumping him as he moved over her body. He took in her swollen lips, pink cheeks and soft brown eyes, ones that were currently focused on him, his heart quickened. She really was some kind of angel.

She had never felt so wanted by a partner before, so she decided she was ready to try something new. "Tora," she panted, her skin flush, "um, did you come here… prepared?"

Prepared? He thought, his mind clouded by lust. Since he'd passed his card to her, he'd been prepared; keeping protection in a pocket waiting for a moment with her, like this. "Do ya mean a condom, Sweetheart?" He almost came in her hands as she nodded. 

He rolled away from her and retrieved a metallic square from his jacket pocket. He stroked his dick as he made the short walk back to the bed, the lust in his eyes mirrored by her own. He approached her and went to lay on his hip, propped up on an elbow, facing her at her side. He reached down, trailing his hand to the junction between her thighs where he quickly went to work until she was slick enough for his liking. He paused to rip open the foil packet and slide the condom down his rigid cock, her hand joining his in an assist. She had turned her body to face his reaching up to kiss him. He appreciatively squeezed her ass before lowering his hand down to grasp her thigh, swinging her leg over his own. 

With his head bent and his back curled, the size difference between them was still an obstacle; after aligning himself to her entrance, he realized he would need to further contort himself. He let out a growl of frustration, grabbing her hips to pull her over him as he rolled into his back. She looked at him, slightly shocked to be straddling him so suddenly. He could feel her wet heat on his stomach. He pulled himself up on his elbows reaching with one arm to bring her down for a kiss.

"S' this okay Sweetheart?" He asked as he drew away. 

She was biting her lip, by now he recognized it as a tell before she displayed an act of courage. She lifted herself and moved back so that she could easily guide his throbbing dick into her folds. She slid his cock across her lips, letting the head hit her sensitive bundle of nerves. Hands on her waist, he watched as she used her hands to stroke him, slowly building herself up to accept him. He held still watching her become accustomed to his body at her own pace, willing his hips not to buck into her with her delicious movements. After what felt to him like an eternity, she pressed his erection into her entrance, sliding down him until he had completely filled her.

They started slow at first, her actions revealing her inexperience. He lifted his hips to meet her. He kept his hands on her waist pushing and pulling her to slide her against his shaft. She rocked against him, rolling her hips forward as they pumped up and down, trying her best to match his rhythm. He could feel as she rubbed her bud against his base. He slid his hand from her hip to her sensitive nub and began to play with it. She had felt amazing to him before, but now, the tightening around him now only amplified his need. He began thrusting harder and faster pulling her down with their skin slapping. He watched as her breasts swayed and her back arched. She straightened her arms to brace herself with his muscular thighs. Her moans came faster and louder driving him forward, covering the sound of his own grunts. 

When opened his mouth to warn her he was close, she came, triggering his own powerful release. He pulled her down hard against him as it happened. Felt his heart beating as she screamed his name. He felt her pulse around him as she rocked on his dick, riding the waves of her pleasure. Holding her while he twitched, watching her come undone until she fell forward, resting on his chest. 

Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed the top of her head. He was so damn thankful for her, for this night, for these moments. He knew this wasn't casual for either of them. Although he wanted to stay like this longer, he could feel the need for tidying up becoming more urgent.

After cleaning themselves up they returned to her bed. 

"You're not gonna kick me out now that ya've had ya way with me?" He joked as he pulled her into his arms. 

"It's late." She burrowed into his chest. "I think I can make an exception for tonight." Her fingers stroked the tattoo design in front of her, playing a lullaby on his skin. "Besides, I like having you here," she added as they drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seeing as how this was their first time having sex together, and Poppy's first time ever, I thought it wouldn't be realistic without a little awkwardness.


	3. After Lunch Cart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on the Facebook fast pass group CCC for the week of Dec 18. Character A beats Character B at a video game
> 
> Gyu challenges a new friend to a race.
> 
> I made an original character with a certain Miss. "L" as inspiration. 
> 
> Mario Kart Wii and it's characters are the property of Nintendo

Gyu wiped down the bar, going over his cleaning checklist as Chevy's closed for the afternoon. Lunch had been slow, the gloomy weather outside deterring people from wanting to leave the comfort of their homes. He stared out into the mostly empty dining room beyond the bar area. Just a few remaining tables and then they could shut down until 5:00 for the more upscale evening crowd. His eyes followed the newest wait staff hire, Ellie, as she checked on her table of stragglers. She had only been there a month, but had already become one of his favorite servers. Her laid back attitude and quick wit made her fun to interact with, and if Gyu was being honest with himself, the fact that the trim server with curly brown hair was cute didn’t hurt either.

As if she felt his eyes on her, she turned away from him showing off her curvy backside. A week earlier she'd caught him admiring it as she was bending to bus a table. He'd tried to play it off like it had just been a coincidence that he’d been looking around the room and happened to glance at her as she was bent over, but he knew that he hadn’t been very convincing. He had waited the rest of the shift for her to call him out on it, and when she didn’t Gyu thought it best to let the matter drop. 

He watched from the corner of his eye as she took some plates back to the kitchen and went back to the task at hand. He was kneeling down lining up glasses with his barback under the counter when Ellie’s voice caught him off guard.

“Do you see that little old man in the gold blazer?” She stood at the side of the bar, looking at Gyu, a small box in front of her.

He rose up and looked at her remaining table. “Yeah, the little guy with the big glasses? What about him?” 

“Today is his 90th birthday. All his grandkids flew in to be with him because it’s his first birthday since he had a big heart attack.” Ellie informed him. “His family took him out to celebrate and won’t stop fussing over him and his diet and all he wanted was a big juicy steak and a loaded buttery potato, but they keep trying to shove rabbit food down his throat instead. His wife slipped me a 50 to get him a big piece of cheesecake to go and sneak her the box after the grandkids take him out.” She pointed to the box in front of her, grinning, her blue eyes sparkling. “Oh, that’s the signal. I need to go take this to her.” 

While she passed off the contraband dessert, Gyu finished his tasks and waved the barback off to go clock out. He couldn’t get her smile off his mind. Quincey had a few romantic partners and Big Bro was spending more time with the cutie pie he’d found, so maybe he could risk taking a chance and try to get closer to Ellie to see if it was a shared attraction he was feeling.

He caught her as she was on her way to the office to clock out. "Hey, are you closing tonight too?" He inquired. 

“Yeah, I’ll be here. With the weather the way it is, I might get sent home early though.”

“Do you have any plans between now and then? ‘Cause Grant brought up his old game console and Mario Kart to the storage room. Some of the guys from the kitchen made some sandwiches and we’re gonna hang out in there until it’s time to clock back in.” He shared with her.

“Eh, I don’t know, I was going to try to take care of a few errands before we had to be back here.” She scanned her card and turned to allow Gyu access to the machine to go off shift. 

As if on cue, the room lit up with a bright flash of lightning and the rain that was already falling heavily became an opaque deluge.

“Did you park in the lot a block away?” He asked her as he scanned out, looking out the small window to the street.

“Yeah.” She answered.

“So about that game,” he smirked as the wind picked up, “you want to make it interesting? Whoever loses has to give the winner half their tips from tonight. And I could use the cash.”

"Bold of you to assume I'd lose" she deadpanned.

“Shit, that’s not what I meant,” he stumbled.”I was just trying to… “

Ellie’s chuckle caught him off- guard. “I know, I’m going to go kick your ass now for that though.”

They walked into the large storage room that housed extra seating and tables. The walls were lined with large shelves holding spare linens and dishes kept for outside catering or special events. Off to one side was a large television used for special events in the bar connected to the small white box. A few of their coworkers had decided to wait out the storm and were gathered around the television, sitting in some of the extra chairs.

“Hey Bro, Ellie.” Grant welcomed them. “Do ya want to play? I’ve only got the two controllers so we started a sign up sheet. I can put you down for the next game.”

“Yeah, that’ll work” Gyu nodded.

They watched as the characters circled the rainbow track, falling off the edges of the translucent road.

“I haven’t played in a while, would you be alright doing the easier courses?” Ellie asked Gyu under her breath.

“Yeah, sure.” He agreed. He thought about her earlier dig at kicking his ass. He had taken her seriously, but now he wasn’t so sure. He decided he’d go a little easy on her so that she wouldn’t get too embarrassed at losing in front of their coworkers.

They moved to the two chairs positioned in front of the tv and took up the controllers. Gyu saw that he was player two. He watched as Ellie quickly navigated through the menu and selected his usual pick of Toad for herself before he had a chance. He decided to go for a heavier player then to knock the others off the road. 

“Really, Wario?” She looked at him. “I thought only serial killers picked Wario.”

“What? I have a soft spot for bad guys,” he informed her. He thought about Tora and the other guys from the clan that followed Big Bro around and realized this was probably a truer statement than he had intended.

They went through the actions of selecting the best vehicles, with Ellie selecting a bike to go against the cart he chose. Both chose the manual option and agreed on the Mushroom cup for all four races.

First race was the Luigi Circuit. He hadn’t driven with a heavy class in some time and his gameplay reflected that. Gyu struggled on the first lap before getting his bearings. He glanced at the top of the split screen and saw Toad in first place, Ellie deftly weaving him between shells and across the dash spaces with ease. He managed to catch up to third place by the second lap. Gyu got the green shell from the item box and lined himself up for a clear shot to take out Baby Peach, who stood between him and Ellie. As he fired, a giant Mario drove over him, squishing him and knocking him back down to eighth as he started the last lap. He heard Ellie swear and saw that she’d been taken out by a spiked blue shell. While she tried to recover, he got himself into fifth place, when he looked up at her screen to see her finish first, he was overtaken by Diddy Kong and took sixth for the race.

Gyu was shocked. He couldn’t remember the last time he hadn’t placed in the top three. He turned to look at Ellie who blinked back at him playfully. “I guess I got lucky this round, it really has been forever since I’ve played.”

Now that he knew not to underestimate her, Gyu started Moo Moo Meadows, no matter which character he was, he knew he could beat anyone on this course. With the help of some well timed cows and other large characters pushing Toad around, Wario took first. Pleased with the results, Gyu saw that even with his win, Ellie was still beating him overall coming in fourth for the race.

The coworkers around Gyu chided him, asking if he was really going to let some newby server beat him her first time playing with the crew. He was no stranger to returning trash talk, but was oddly self conscious not wanting to say anything in front of Ellie that would have her think poorly of him. 

They lined up to begin the next race; Mushroom Gorge, with the trampoline top mushrooms there would be no room for error if he wanted to beat her and get ahead overall. He pushed himself into the other players, launching them into the void. Gyu was now out for blood. He didn't just want to win, he wanted Ellie to lose badly to create some distance in their scores. Things were going well for him until the final lap when a pow took him out over a jump, throwing him off course to be rescued. He managed to finish third. Ellie came in fourth. They were now tied in points.

The final race was Toad’s Factory. It was as if the console knew the stakes and threw every obstacle at them. At one point Gyu heard Ellie hiss curses at the computer players for pushing her into mud or blasting her into water. He was having much of the same luck, being smashed by stamps and struck by continuous lightning and pows. Going into the final lap, Gyu was in last place with Ellie in ninth. He picked up a bullet from the item box and managed to get shot into sixth, taking out Toad and a few other players in his path. He rounded the corner for the final jump into the muddy area overtaking Mario to claim fourth right as a player with a star hit him knocking him mid-flight down to the dirt track. As he tried to build up speed another pow hit, spinning him into the mud, recovering once again he was hit by a stray shell. Somehow he managed to drag Wario over the finish line in 10th place. 

He looked over at Ellie to see her grinning at him. She had managed to finish the race fifth and the cup third overall. "I believe you mentioned something about a bet." She teased him.

They got up from their seats and moved near the doorway so Gyu could talk to her without the rest of their coworkers overhearing. "I sure got my ass handed to me. You'll have to play me in a rematch sometime." Suddenly unsure what to do with his hands, he shoved one in his pocket and ran the other through his hair.

She gathered up her things and pushed blank receipt tape out of the register, scribbling something on it out of his line of sight. “Here, save your money you’ll need it for this.” He took the slip of paper she offered him. 

Gyu opened it and saw a phone number quickly written out. “Hey, is this your number?” 

“No, it’s my tattoo artist, you look like you might need it.” She smirked cheekily. “Yeah, it’s my number. You can buy me dinner instead of splitting your tips.” Ellie looked away from him to the window, a small blush coloring her cheeks. “The rain let up and I really need to go get this stuff done before tonight. I’ll see you later.” She pushed a curl behind her ear and smiled at him before turning to go.

Gyu watched her leave. He felt the urge to take a picture of the slip of paper and share it with his Q.A. chat. His finger hovered over the camera button, before ultimately deciding to close the application. He wasn't quite prepared to throw himself in the way of Quincey's line of questions. He had a date to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to my husband and kiddos for playing multiple rounds with me with characters they didn't want so I could write this.  
> And to the MPL 18+ chat for being so supportive and giving me ideas to write with.


	4. The Tiger in Trainers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You've heard the tale of Puss in Boots, here's a very, very loose adaptation for this week's CCC prompt, reimagine a fable or fairy tale using MPL characters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the MPL 18+ chat for helping me with ideas. 
> 
> I told myself I was just going to write something very short and ended up with an 8 page google doc, making this about 3 times longer than the original story it's inspired by. 😂
> 
> Please enjoy with all the silliness intended.

Once upon a time there was a very bad man by the name of Balthuman who had three sons. One day the very bad man got sick and died, hooray! Upon his death he bequeathed his sons the following possessions. To his eldest and most violent son Scharch, a dagger with a shark on the hilt (a little too on the nose if you ask me.) His middle son Claude, who liked to use his fists, was left with a pair of brass knuckles. And his youngest son Quincey, who was a sweet jelly bean who despised their violent way of life, was left with the man's trained tiger.

A few months after their father's death, the two older sons plotted to kill their younger brother and take his tiger for themselves. Quincey’s tiger overheard their plot and gathered all of Quincey’s things for a quick getaway. That evening Scharch and Claude tried to sneak into his room late at night to murder him while he slept. The tiger was sleeping on the floor, just inside the door and was able to keep them at bay long enough for Quincey to gather his things, conveniently piled together, and escape.

The tiger led Quincey away to one of his late father's safe houses. Once they were safely inside, the tiger sat back, resting on his hind legs and said, "We should be safe here, no one knows about ya dad's secret hideout."

"Holy shit! A talking tiger. Are you magic?" A shocked Quincey exclaimed.

"Yeah, I guess I am magic or some shit. Can ya call me Tora? This "Come here little Tiger-poo" thing ain't really my style."

Quincey's face dropped. He much preferred Tiger-poo to Tora. But seeing as how Tora just saved his life, he decided to honor his request.

"I'll take care of ya, all I ask in return is a pair of boots and ya keep me stocked in smokes." Tora bargained with him.

"But you don't have any thumbs?" Quincey pointed out the obvious, "how will you smoke?"

"Didn't we just establish I'm magic and shit? Just get me the smokes and I'll figure a way out."

The next morning Quincey and his pet tiger, now known as Tora, appeared at the shop of a very surprised and startled cobbler.

Quincey addressed the cobbler, oblivious to the wariness the large cat that accompanied him was causing the shoemaker. “My tiger, Tora, here would like a pair of boots, if you will, my good sir.”

“Boots? For your tiger, not you?” The cobbler asked from behind a door that he was using as a shield. 

“Of course, although that does make me think. Tora, should we get matching boots? Wouldn’t that be just the cutest?” Quincey pondered.

“Actually, scratch the boots, what are those?” Tora nodded his head in the direction of some high top sneakers in the window.

“Holy shit, a talking tiger!” the cobbler exclaimed. 

Tora rolled his eyes. This reaction was exactly why he’d been selectively mute. “Yeah, like magic or some shit. Ya gonna tell me about those shoes, or nah?”

“Oh, those are a new creation of mine,” the amazed cobbler stepped out in front of his store, all fear forgotten.”I call them trainers.”

“But I wanted boots.” Quincey pouted

“Then get ya damn self some boots.” Tora scolded him. Turning to the cobbler, he asked, “Can ya make me a pair of the trainers?”

A few hours later Quincey stepped out of the shop wearing a stylish new pair of boots. Tora’s trainers wouldn’t be ready until the next day what with him being a tiger and having tiger shaped feet and all. 

Now, a man walking around with a pet tiger draws attention, and Quincey loved attention, so instead of maybe taking a side street or at least trying to be discreet, Quincey prounced around the town square during peak market hours to show off his fine new boots. It was not long before word of Quincey and his tiger being out in public made it back to his brothers.

Tigers, however well trained they are, are not social creatures. Tora had just about enough of Quincey’s flitting around bullshit and procured one of his promised cigarettes. Finding an alley off of the main square for him to enjoy it where he could still keep an eye on his master, Tora let the sweet hit of nicotine calm his frazzled tiger nerves. As he stubbed the cigarette out with his back paw, Tora heard a commotion and looked up just in time to see Scharch and Claude snatch Quincey.

"Well fuck." Tora said. 

Tora managed to chase them down and rescue Quincey a second time from his brothers, swiping at Claude and Scharch with his large paws. He knew this problem would persist if they stayed where they were, so Tora decided that they would leave for a neighboring town in the morning after he picked up his sweet new kicks.

The next morning they did just that. Tora wore his new trainers as they walked on a path lined on the north by some spooky, definitely haunted woods that would take them to a town nearer to the castle. He and Quincey found an abandoned home on the outskirts of town at the edge of the eerie woods that they could live in undisturbed. 

"Tora, I've decided I'm going to be a writer," Quincey declared, "and this place is serving me all the drama. I love this little creepy cottage!" 

Satisfied that Quincey would settle in well to their new lodgings, Tora went exploring the mysterious forest looking for dinner. It wasn't long before he came across a pond and captured two fat geese to take back with him for Quincey.

One would be more than enough for Quincey, Tora was more of a venison fan himself, so he made plans for the better of the two birds and set it aside for in the morning.

In this kingdom, there was a wise and noble king who tried to rule his country fairly. He had a daughter, a beautiful princess named Cordelia who wasn't content with being relegated as a figurehead with no political power, so she had dual degrees in law and economics. While her father reigned and focused on the day to day of running a country, she acted as the chief law officer of the land. She considered the two older Balthuman boys public enemy number one.

It was Princess Cordelia that Tora wished to take an audience with. He set off the next morning with the extra goose to offer it to her. Some might say as a bribe, but Tora preferred to look at it as a gift (wink wink.)

“Your highness, there is a tiger here to see you.” a bewildered butler announced.

“A tiger? Please do send him in.” Princess Cordelia was intrigued.

In walked a tiger wearing hightop sneakers with a bag around his neck. He approached the princess and then stopped to sit back on his hind legs and bowed his head slightly. "Your highness." Tora addressed her, " I came to see ya-you on behalf of my master."

"Ho-ly ship sail, a talking tiger." The lady in waiting to Princess Cordelia was amazed. “Can I pet you?”

Tora consented and was treated by her smoothing down the shaggy fur of his head and long strokes down his back. “Hey Sweetheart, I like belly rubs too ya know.” He teased the sweet lady in waiting. Finding himself amused by the redness in her cheeks.

"This is a gift from my master, Quincey the Earl of Noyouko." He ducked to slide the bag off his neck, for the lady in waiting to take to the Princess. 

The Princess opened the bag with the fine goose inside. "Thank you for the gift, Sir, but Earl of Noyouko? I'm afraid I'm not familiar with that title. Is he from foreign lands?" Princess Cordelia asked.

"Sure. He recently decided he wants to relocate here to ya town and he sent me to pay his respect." Tora inspected the claws of his front right paw acting disinterested as to not give himself away.

Princess Cordelia was quite fascinated by this smooth talking tiger, "Really, to our town? Where are you currently lodging then?" She asked since she hadn't heard the news of a new Earl with a talking tiger arriving.

"I have come ahead of my party. I'm stayin' in those creepy ass woods on the northern edge of town." 

"Mr. Tiger, please send word to your party to avoid taking the northern path. There is a town along the way where a pair of brothers live; the Balthuman boys, who are cruel and violent and would try to harm your Earl. As for you, since you are already here, I extend you an invitation to stay here on palace grounds as my guest. I'm afraid those woods are far too dangerous for you to stay there." Princess Cordelia offered as she had his empty bag returned to him.

"Ya highness, call me Tora. I'm not really afraid of creatures in the woods, what with bein' an apex predator and all. I'm more comfortable there than in a castle with all these frills." Tora explained as he put his satchel back around his neck with help from the lady in waiting.

"Mr. Tora, if it were just animals I have no doubt you'd be well off in the woods, but that particular area is home to an evil ogre named Martin with magical powers. We have a tenuous peace treaty with him. He does not attack our villagers as long as we stay away from his forest. I cannot offer you or your Earl my protection if you enter them.” The princess warned him.

“Thanks for the warnin’ ya highness, I’ll keep that in mind about ya spooky ogre infested northern woods.” Tora conveniently left out a promise to stay away from them. And with that, he left the palace to return to Quincey.

The next day Tora was hunting in the northern woods again when he stumbled across a large castle. Out came a little old man to greet him. Tora’s instincts could instantly tell that this was no normal man and a trick. He sat back on his trainer-clad feet and waited. “Got a light?” Tora asked the ogre disguised as an old man.

As the ogre approached he changed his appearance into his true form, “Tiger, what business do you have here?”

“I heard there was a powerful ogre in these woods and I wanted to see ya for myself. Ya powerful enough to light my smoke?” Tora motioned to the cigarette he’d slid out of the side of his shoe and placed in his mouth, because magic. The ogre pointed at Tora’s cigarette and soon enough the end began to glow. “Ya gonna kill me now?” Tora asked.

“Are you some cursed human stuck in a tiger form?” The ogre asked.

“Nah, just a tiger with some kind of magic bullshit spell that lets him talk,” Tora answered.

“Then you shall live. I only kill the humans.” Said the ogre.

“Why the humans, they come around and mess your shit up?” Tora asked as he inhaled from his cigarette.

“Some of them, yes, those I like to turn into insects, if they are bad people they taste bad and are of no use to me. But children,” he licked his lips with a glint in his eye, “they are delicious. When I’m able to lure them or other sweet, innocent people into my forest, I have a fine feast for days.”

“Coolcoolcoolcoolcool, no doubt, no doubt,” Tora chittered around an exhale of smoke. “I didn’t realize how late it was gettin’, gotta head back to my den. It was nice talking to ya…?” He left the question hanging in the air.

“-Martin.”

“Martin. If I meet any humans that need to be turned into an insect I’ll bring them ya way, okay?” Tora stomped out his cigarette and went off to find a nice quiet spot to hunt away from the murderous Martin.

All this exploring around the forest had made him tired. Tora found a warm square of sunlight at the end of the path that had brought them there from their previous town. He took a moment to roll around in the dust before curling up in the dappled light that filtered through the trees. 

A traveling merchant coming across the path saw Tora and ran to him, “I see your shoes, Tiger, you must be the one I’ve heard about. The Balthuman brothers have heard rumors that you’re here and are on their way to kill your master and take you as their own.”

“Always one damn thing after another,” Tora grumbled. “Can’t a tiger get a little cat nap around here without interruption?”

“Holy shit, a talking tiger!” the merchant exclaimed. “Nobody told me you talked." 

Tora sighed and walked off to warn Quincey, not bothering to respond to the merchant. He stuck his head in the door to find Quincey hard at work, bent over writing quickly on the papers scattered across his desk. “Oi, Quince,” Tora called as he stuck his bag around his neck. “Stay inside, I’m huntin’ some deer nearby and I know ya don’t like blood.”

“Will do,” Quincey responded without looking up, “please make sure to wipe your paws before you get back, I don’t want a repeat of last time.” he shuddered at the memory.

Tora made sure the door was shut behind him and he hurried off down the path to search for Scharch and Claude. He spied them coming around a bend near Martin's castle. “Oi, dickweeds!” He yelled at them, forgetting that they didn’t know he could talk. It was enough to get their attention though and soon they were following him down into the forest to Martin’s castle.

As they approached, Martin disguised himself as an old man and came out to see them. “What can I do for you fine young men?” He asked.

“Hey old man, is our brother in there?” Claude asked.

“Fuck it, we can just kill him too,” Scharch ordered. “Look at this place, I bet there’s a ton of expensive shit inside we can sell.”

Before they could get any closer, Martin pointed one of his gnarled fingers at them. With a loud zap their clothes collapsed to the ground seemingly empty. 

“What’d ya do to ‘em?” Tora asked. 

“I turned them into the slimy worthless creatures that they should be,” Martin said with disgust. “I was hoping you’d bring humans of a better quality, it’s been so long since I had a nice little boy stew.”

“Yeah, I’ll do better next time,” Tora muttered. He rooted around in their clothes until he found a slug in each. He took their money and weapons and put them in his bag. He managed to contort himself to place both the slugs on his back and set off for home.

Tora walked into the house and shook off the two slugs, launching them into the ground with a soft splat catching Quincey's attention.

“Ewwwww Tora! What are those, gross!” Quincey shrieked at the slugs on the floor. “Oh my God, they’re going near my bed,” he quickly stomped them with his boots. “Ugh, disgusting.” He moved across the threshold and went to scrape the bottoms of his boots against the grass. He turned to Tora who was leaning on shoulder against the house while he smoked, “can you please check yourself for creepy crawlies before you come inside after you’ve been out doing your tiger LARP-ing?” Then with a huff, he went back inside and slammed the door.

The next morning Tora returned to the palace to see Princess Cordelia again. “I have news to report to her Highness.” He told her attache.

Princess Cordelia immediately granted his request and allowed him before her. “What news have you Mr. Tora?”

“Ya mentioned the Balthuman brothers last time I was here. They tried to take my master’s life as he traveled, but the great Quincey, Earl of Noyouko bested them and killed them in self defense.” Tora fibbed.

“The Balthuman brothers, they have been evading us for months, how do I know that they’re really gone?” Princess Cordelia asked.

Tora took off his bag and had her discover the dagger with the shark on the hilt and the brass knuckles that were the known weapons of Scharch and Claude. “These are proof that they’re gone. Swear it on my master’s life.” He said with conviction. 

Princess Cordelia considered Tora for a moment. She knew that he wasn’t telling her the whole truth, but seemed devoted to his master. If he was lying about the Balthumans it would not take long for the truth to come to surface. Finally, she spoke, “Mr. Tora, please thank your master for me, upon his arrival bring him to see me. If he is able to take on the Balthuman brothers and come out of it the victor, perhaps he can help me with our ogre problem.” With that, Tora was dissmissed.

He returned back to Quincey, to find him elbow deep in some kind of pirate romance story. “Ya got any plans to leave the house today?” Tora asked him.

“You know I don’t. I have to finish getting this all out of my head and onto paper before I lose Fernando and Antoinette’s chemistry."

“Good, don’t go out into the forest, I’m gonna be doin’ tiger shit again.” Tora was out the door before he could hear if Quincey replied. He needed to come up with a plan to remove Martin before the Princess learned of Quincey’s presence in town. 

Tora found himself back at Martin’s. He had cobbled together a scheme to trick the ogre in the hopes that he wouldn’t have to get Quincey involved.

“Greetings Tiger, did you bring me someone sweet today?” Martin inquired as Tora came upon his castle.

“Yeah, got a little guy followin’ me. Thinks it’s fun to chase the tiger ‘round the forest.” He lied. “He’s a little ways back so I gotta ask ya, that was some cool shit ya did the other day turnin' those guys into slugs, and ya can change yaself into an old geezer too. Are those all the tricks ya have up ya sleeve?" Tora asked. 

Tora watched as Martin magicked himself into a large bear.

"Pfft. Compensating for somethin'" Tora snickered.

Annoyed Martin next turned himself into a stomping clydesdale horse.

"Scared to be small, huh?" Tora egged him on.

Angered Martin transformed into a small blind mole, "Happy now, Tiger?" He spat.

"Yeah, I am," and with that Tora pounced on him and promptly gobbled him up. He sat for a minute experiencing painful indigestion, but the feeling soon passed and with it, the whole forest seemed to come alive, dissipating it’s creepy fog as more sunlight streamed through branches and birds began to chirp and twitter. Tora felt the disconcerting feeling that had covered the area lift. 

Quickly, he returned home and convinced Quincey to pack up his belongings (“But Fernando!”) Tora moved them both into the castle where Martin had resided, now a home befitting a brave and gallant Earl with a pet tiger. 

He heard a commotion outside and saw the royal court carriages approaching, the changes in the northern forest causing them to come for a closer inspection.

“Quince, whatever I say, just go along with it, alright?” Tora nudged his master. “We’re about to make ya famous so those books of yours can sell.” They stepped outside to meet their guests,“Ya highness, I wish to introduce ya to my master, Earl Quincey, he has defeated Martin and taken his castle for his own.

Princess Cordelia eyed the confused looking young man. He was a handsome gentleman indeed, but did not look as if he were strong enough to fight off the villainous Balthuman brothers, or cunning enough to outsmart Martin. The tiger smoking next to him with an indifferent look on his face was another story. _Fuck it, I’ll take any win I can get,_ she decided and went along with their story.

Quincey’s sweet nature and knack for storytelling soon endeared him to the royal court and it wasn’t long before he and Cordelia fell madly in love and were married. Tora became a favorite of Cordelia's lady in waiting, Maid Poppy, who would let him rest his head in her lap for ear scritches and didn't mind his dry humor. One day when Tora was nuzzling her, she wished he was a real man and not a tiger and POOF! There stood a large naked man wearing only trainers in front of her.

"Wish granted, Sweetheart." Tora purred as Maid Poppy threw a pillow at him and ran screaming out of the room.

He must've absorbed some magic and shit left over from eating Martin. They too, were soon married and they all lived happily ever after. 

THE END


	5. A Valentine for Pinky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damien has a surprise date for Valentine's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, here's a little Valentine's fluff for you. It sounded much better in my head until I went to write it out and then I had a moment of WTF, so I hope it all makes sense.

Everything hurt. He wasn’t sure when the last time he’d ever had such a rough training day. Or even _if_ he’d ever had one so rough before. Big Bro was running them through all the courses, no rest for the weary and he was dead tired. A full day of high intensity training had left Damien longing for a hot shower to relax his screaming muscles. It had started off simple enough, Big Bro had called them all together for some drills and then they’d take a few turns in the ring sparring against each other to keep their reflexes sharp before breaking for the day. But as they were finishing up, something happened. Big Bro got some kind of message that made him scowl at his phone, well, scowl harder than normal, and instead of letting everyone go, he ramped up the exercises. One thing led to another and now here was Damien hours later, leaning against a wall, afraid to stand up without it in case his legs gave out.

Damien looked around, all the rest of Big Bro’s crew were in similar shape, Brian had turned a shade of bright red at some point before turning green and losing his breakfast in the trash can. Trent’s hair was flat against his sweaty forehead, Damien thought his own was probably in a similar state, if not worse. Some of the newer guys were lying prone on the cold concrete floor of the gym, trying to cool off, too tired to stand anymore.

Big Bro had let them take a break while he answered a text. Damien cringed thinking it was the same person who had upset him earlier leading to their intense workout. He knew Big Bro liked to keep his distance from his men, but it was pretty obvious that whoever was on the other end of those texts was the cause of his current situation. Was it Young Master Quincey? No, he’d seen the young master annoy Big Bro before, that usually ended with an early day, not this torture they’d been subjected to. Were they from Mr. Balthuman or maybe his subordinate, Martin? Had one of them told Big Bro to run them harder? Were they meant to be preparing for something? Whoever it was, something had shifted with the last text. He watched as Big Bro let a smirk escape, when was the last time he’d actually seen the man smile? Before looking across the room to meet eyes with Damien.

“Oi, Pinky.”

 _Shit_. “Yeah, Big Bro,” He resisted the urge to correct him with his name.

“Ya free tonight? I got a job for ya. Meet up with me after ya get out of the showers,” Big Bro swept his eyes across Brian, who was bent over leaning on the wall next to him, eyes half closed with his arms wrapped gingerly around his stomach. “Alone.”

Damien swallowed hard as he felt the eyes of those still conscious turn on him as he nodded his confirmation. Big Bro didn’t have them work independently, would he be partnering up with him tonight?

Taking that as their cue for dismissal the men trudged themselves into the locker room, some of them practically crawling. Brian tried to catch his attention away from the eyes of the other guys.

“Hey man, can I get a little help over here? I think if we did one more fuckin’ pushup my shoulder would’ve separated. I can’t get my damn shirt off without a little help.” Damien helped his friend peel off his sweat soaked shirt and started to make progress on his own clothes before Brian spoke again, “what do ya think Big Bro wants with ya?”

“Fuck if I know man, that creepy smile of his scared the piss outta me though.” He shrugged trying to play off his indifference to his friend. Internally he was screaming. The Tiger of Ares Street had run him to his breaking point and was now wanting to meet with him alone. He tried to take his time showering and getting cleaned up, going through the motions as if they would be his last, Hell, for all he knew, he’d fucked up something royally and they would be his last. Finally, he couldn’t drag it out any longer and he made his way outside the locker room. He saw Big Bro just beyond the exterior doors smoking against a post that was holding up a cover for the doorway. He steeled himself and went outside to meet his fate against the setting sun.

“Took long enough, ya always take ya damn time in there?” Big Bro exhaled with the last of his cigarette. Damien took him in, he seemed a little on edge, anxious perhaps?

He tried to make a plausible excuse, “Sorry, Big Bro, I just got caught up in a story Brian was telling me. Crazy fucker, didn’t mean to make you wait.”

Big Bro motioned for Damien to follow him, “Do ya know what tomorrow is?” He asked as they approached his car. He popped the trunk for Damien to set his bag in along with his own and then gestured for the smaller man to go ahead and get in the passenger seat.

“Uh, Sunday?” Damien guessed. Was there something that he was forgetting?

“Yeah, Sunday.” Big Bro answered back driving out of the lot. “It’s also fuckin’ Valentine’s Day. Quincey wants to go to some club tomorrow.”

Damien wasn’t sure how to respond to this. How did Big Bro expect him to react to him revealing his Valentine’s Day date plans with Quincey. “A club? Sounds like it could be fun Big Bro.” He suppressed a nervous chuckle.

“Yeah, well it’s not the kinda fun I was plannin’ on havin’ this year,” he snorted back. “Gotta make my own fun tonight.”

Damien was surprised he had any sweat left after his workout, but he could feel it creeping in against his underarms and along his hairline. “Tonight?” He asked.

“Shit. Forgot to ask, ya not seein’ anyone are ya?” Big Bro was focused on finding a spot as they pulled into a store parking lot, missing the color drain from Damien’s face.

“Nah, Big Bro, I’m single.” Damien admitted.

“Good.” Big Bro parked and turned to look him in the eye. Christ he was a scary motherfucker. “Don’t fuckin’ breathe a word of this to anyone else, got it?” Damien nodded in response. Big Bro waited a beat before breaking eye contact and getting out of the car, waiting for Damien to follow him inside the store.

Damien tried to walk across the lot calmly despite his heart hammering in his chest, trying to make sense of the thoughts racing through his mind. Big Bro wasn’t mad at him, this wasn’t some job to get him killed or even have him running back-up, This was a date. A date with Big Bro. Did he want to date him? What about Young Master Quincey? Was that why this needed to be a secret? Damien had only ever dated women, he’d never given much thought to being with another man, but this wasn’t any man, it was Tora the fuckin Tiger of Ares Street. The man was legendary, Damien knew that both Brian and Trent had admitted having more than just a professional and friendly admiration for the man. Big Bro was an Ares, a good match for any Sagittarius, and his horoscope that morning had said to be open to any new possibilities. Fuck it. He was doing this, he would go on a date with Big Bro.

They walked into the store, Big Bro had grabbed a hand basket and had taken off towards the floral counter. He turned back around and saw Damien following him empty-handed, “don’t just stand there, get something nice, some kind of cute shit like flowers and a fuckin bear,” he directed. Damien returned to the entrance and grabbed a basket for himself coming back to find Big Bro standing in front of the display of overpriced flowers and balloons looking a little lost. That was until he saw a planter that was made to look like a chubby unicorn laying on it’s back in a doughnut, in place of its belly was a little plant with fat, juicy looking leaves. He grabbed some small bouquet of simple looking flowers to go along with it, a small smirk spreading across his face as he set them in his basket. Damien wasn’t sure of what to grab, so he copied Big Bro reaching out for another unicorn. “No” Big Bro had grabbed his wrist mid-reach. “Get something else,” he looked over at another small plant, this one in a circular planter with geometric designs, “that one’d work,” Damien quickly selected it and put it in his basket.

He tried his best to hide his confusion. Who was he getting gifts for? Was he picking something out for himself? He did like the little circular planter better than the unicorn, but did that mean that Big Bro was buying his own gift? What kind of date would that make Damien? He opened his mouth to get some kind of clarification on what Big Bro’s plan for the night was, but the man walked off before he could ask. Damien stumbled for a minute, gaping with his mouth open, before shoving some expensive bouquet in his basket and chasing after Big Bro.

They walked off over to the bakery area where there were cakes and cookies decorated in reds and pinks. Big Bro stopped in front of a refrigerated section eyeing the choices until he saw a container filled with chocolate covered strawberries. He added those and some kind of brownie covered in a sickly sweet red frosting to his basket and turned back to Damien as if he was expecting him to follow suit. Hesitating Damien reached for some heart shaped cookies, the same color as his hair, with little love notes, like “be mine” written on them.

Things were now more muddled to him than they had been since they’d left the gym. He knew Big Bro didn’t do sweets and encouraged his men to limit junk food. These cookies and that brownie were not for the two of them. Was that dissappointment he was feeling? Who the fuck were they buying these for?

Once Big Bro seemed satisfied with their baskets, he led them to the registers, stepping away once he got there to go down a family planning aisle. “Oi, Pinky, ya good?” Big Bro nodded to the condoms.

No, he was not good, and not just in the safe sex way that Big Bro implied. Damien selected his favorite kind and tossed them in with the flowers and the cookies. Flowers and cookies that he was now buying for some mystery recipient. Or recipients.

They checked out and drove over to a side of the city he was unfamiliar with. He was pretty sure it was neutral territory with it being so far out. Damien tentatively spoke, breaking the silence "Hey, Big Bro," he turned to answer Damien with a face that would've killed a weaker man. "Nevermind." Wherever Big Bro was taking him, it obviously wasn't something he wanted to talk about, the man seemed as nervous as Damien felt. Big Bro turned to pull into an older looking apartment building, stopping to enter a gate code. As they passed through the gate, Damien saw the guard, wait, was that Gyu? Come out to wave at them. This must be big if Gyu was involved. Big Bro parked and pulled out his phone to fire off a text.

They grabbed their shopping bags with their gifts, both of them having taken the time to put their respective condoms away. Big Bro led him up a flight of stairs, and then another, and another. Damien felt his knees wobbling as they took each step up in elevation, reminders of the training day making his legs burn and his steps grow unsteady. Had Big Bro picked him because he was the only one left who could withstand going up all these stairs? Finally, mercifully, they left the stairwell on the fifth floor to go to an apartment.

They stopped at a door where Damien could hear muffled pop music playing beyond it. Big Bro knocked quietly first, before producing a key and swung the door open to what appeared to be a small studio apartment filled with plants. As he stepped in behind Big Bro he was greeted by the small woman he recognized as the Young Master’s editor.

A lightbulb flashed in Damien's head. This must be some secret safe house for Young Master Quincey. That would explain the secrecy and the need to have Gyu acting as a guard. They must be meeting him there for some intimate Valentine's gathering.

“Hi guys,” she whispered. “Come on in, but” she held a finger to her lips to ask them to be quiet.

Damien followed the actions of Big Bro and toed off his shoes, piling them beside the door. He watched as Young Master Quincey’s editor went back into what looked to be the kitchen. He could just barely hear her voice mixed in with the music as she talked to someone else in there. “Okay, I know we said we were going to have a Galentine’s Day, but, surprise!”

“Shit, Pops, what did you do?” Damien recognized the other voice immediately. His eyes widened as the pastel haired goddess from the club came into the main room of the apartment. _Erdene_. She didn’t see him at first, only saw Big Bro, and wasn’t too happy about it by the look on her face. Before she saw Damien she turned on her heel and lay into her friend. “You invited Tora to our girls night?” Erdene asked Quincey’s editor.

“Well, kinda. He invited himself.” Quincey’s editor replied, shit, what was her name again? Some flower sounding name. “But to be fair Dene, I had already made plans to see him tonight before you came over this morning and declared it Galentine’s day.”

Erdene looked back over at Big Bro, but this time she saw him. Damien watched as her face flashed in recognition taking in the sight of him. “Hey” he shrugged, feeling his cheeks color.

“Hey.” Erdene replied softly. “Can you give me a minute? I need to make a phone call.” She turned to glare at Quincey’s editor but she had disappeared into the kitchen with Big Bro. She let out a huff and went out onto the balcony and closed the door behind her.

Unsure what to do, Damien took a step toward the kitchen to get out of Erdene’s line of sight to give her more privacy. As he approached he could see through the entryway that Big Bro was standing behind Quincey's editor as she opened the bag of things he'd bought. He watched as Big Bro nervously ran his hands through his hair. He stopped, trying not to eavesdrop, but hearing their conversation anyway.

“S’ not much Bobby, I’ve never done this Valentine’s thing before.” He heard Big Bro say.

“Tora, I love it. I’m going to take this little guy up to work, I have the perfect sunny spot for him on my desk. And I already told you that you didn’t have to get me anything.” He heard her run some water, cellophane from the bouquet crinkling, “I can’t remember the last time someone got me flowers. Thank you.”

Damien stuck his neck out to look into the kitchen, curiosity getting the better of him, seeing the flowers in a vase sitting next to the unicorn planter. Young Master Quincey’s editor had turned to face Big Bro, his arms on either side of her trapping her against the countertop while they kissed. Damn! Big Bro went and got himself the cutie with the nice rack. Wait. Since when did Big Bro like girls?

The sound of the balcony door opening jerked his attention back to the main room. Erdene coming into view. Fuck, she was beautiful. “I guess the big guy brought you along as his wingman tonight?” She asked.

“Wingman?” Damien questioned, his mind not quite registering her words, torn between thoughts of the last time he was with Erdene and whatever he’d just seen going on with Big Bro in the kitchen. Slowly everything started falling into place, Big Bro wanted him here to take care of a cockblock. He looked at Erdene, he’d gladly fall on that sword. He shifted and remembered the bag in his hands. “Here, these are for you,” he held it out for her to take from him.

She moved over to a low table to take out the items inside, she smelled and thanked him for the flowers and the plant and laughed at the cookies. “Did you pick these out because they matched your hair?”

He felt himself blush, he’d been caught.

“Do you wanna have one with me?'' she offered. He nodded in agreement and watched as she picked one out of the case, stopping to swipe her finger across the frosting to smear the words before writing her own message in with her fingertip and handing it to him. “What do you say?” she asked. He looked down at the cookie in his hand with the message EAT ME pressed into it.

Locking eyes with Erdene, he raised the cookie to his mouth and took a bite, stepping closer to her until they were almost pressed together. One bite of the cloying sweetness was enough for him, he was suddenly very hungry for something else and told Erdene so.

“Poppy!” She called out, “Damien and I are leaving. See you at work on Monday.”

Poppy. That was her name. He’d need to remember it, she was Quincey’s editor, Big Bro’s girl and Erdene’s friend. Erdene grabbed him by the wrist taking him over to the door where they slipped on their shoes and out into the hallway before she slammed her mouth against his.

“Did you bring a car here?” she panted.

“No, I drove here with Big Bro.”

“Good, we can take my car. I booked us another room at the Princess Hotel, we’re going to have ourselves a happy Valentine’s Day.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trent is the name I gave to the thuglet that fought with Gyu in the club. We know you want Tora too, man, but he's only got eyes for his Bobby.
> 
> Sorry about the abrupt ending! I wasn't really sure how to finish it. Hope you all enjoyed it.


End file.
